Tales of Museums

Unofficial visitor guide · Budapest

Museum of Ethnography Budapest: audio guide, photos, Wi-Fi

Néprajzi Múzeum · Google Maps

Official audio guide · English Partly · 3 languages · HUF 1,000

The Museum of Ethnography's curved building in City Park holds some 3,600 objects in its main Collection Exhibition, from Hungarian folk costume to Oceanian masks. Its official audio guide covers only the Ceramics Space and the ZOOM exhibition, in Hungarian, English and German. Here is what helps with the rest.

Independent guide by the makers of Tales of Museums. Not affiliated with the Museum of Ethnography.

By Michael Mirkin, PhD · How we make our guides

Good to know before you go

Official audio guide
Covers the Ceramics Space and the ZOOM exhibition, in Hungarian, English and German: a device rented for HUF 1,000 and collected on level −2, or a HUF 1,500 version in the museum's own app. The main Collection Exhibition has no audio guide. neprajz.hu: tickets · neprajz.hu: audioguide
Photos
Photos and video with your own phone are allowed for personal use. A camera needs a HUF 700 photo ticket. Flash, tripods, selfie sticks and stabilisers are banned. neprajz.hu: house rules (Hungarian) · neprajz.hu: tickets
Bags and cloakroom
The cloakroom is free and compulsory for large backpacks, umbrellas and bags over 30 × 40 × 20 cm; a smaller backpack can stay on your back. Lockers take a 100 HUF or 1 euro coin. neprajz.hu: house rules (Hungarian) · neprajz.hu: lockers and cloakroom
Wi-Fi
Free Wi-Fi in the building on the network "EthnoMuseum", after a short registration. neprajz.hu: Wi-Fi

Checked on 15 October 2026 from the sources linked above. Museums change their guides and rules; confirm on the official Museum of Ethnography website before you go.

Plan your visit

Opening hours
The exhibitions are open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–18:00, and the ticket office closes at 17:30. Closed on Mondays, when only the entrance hall facing Heroes' Square is open (10:00–18:00); the Ceramics Space is closed on Mondays too. Closed on some public holidays. neprajz.hu: opening hours
Tickets
The Collection Exhibition with ZOOM costs HUF 4,900, and the all-in ticket with the temporary exhibitions HUF 5,500. A last-hour all-in ticket costs HUF 1,900, sold from 1.5 hours before closing. Tickets are sold at both main entrances, on the exhibition floor and at three self-service kiosks. A 50% discount applies to Hungarian and EEA citizens aged 6–26 or 62–70. On national holidays (15 March, 20 August, 23 October) the exhibitions are free regardless of nationality. On the 3rd Saturday of each month the permanent exhibitions are free for Hungarian and other EEA nationals under 26, and for up to two close relatives accompanying a person under 18. neprajz.hu: admission · neprajz.hu: admission (Hungarian)
Getting there
On the edge of City Park by Heroes' Square (Dózsa György út 35, 1146 Budapest). Metro M1 or M4; buses 105, 230, 30, 30A and 7; trolleybuses 70, 75 and 79M. Entrance I, on the Heroes' Square side, is closest to the Benczúr utca bus stop; Entrance II, on Damjanich utca, is closer to the Damjanich utca and Damjanich utca – Dózsa György út stops. Step-free: the accessible lift to the exhibitions is at Entrance II, behind the Etnoshop. Entrance I has no such lift, so there you need an attendant's help. neprajz.hu: public transport · neprajz.hu: accessibility

Tips for your visit

Checked on 15 October 2026 from the sources linked above. Museums change their guides and rules; confirm on the official Museum of Ethnography website before you go.

Highlights and stories

Swipe for the works and stories worth knowing before you go.

The Maya stela (AD 731)

The oldest object on display is a 170 kg stone stela of a Maya ruler. Carved in 731 and found in the 1930s, it was stolen and damaged in the 1960s before reaching Budapest through an official art exchange.

neprajz.hu: Collection Exhibition

Inventory number one: a Japanese lantern

When János Xántus, the museum's first director, catalogued the collection in 1872, a Japanese lantern he had collected became item number one. It is on display in the Collection Exhibition.

neprajz.hu: Collection Exhibition

A Khanty shaman and his descendant

The exhibition tells how the figurine of a Khanty shaman and a relative of his, born more than a century later, found each other in the museum. Also on show are Khanty and Mansi objects collected by Antal Reguly in the 1840s.

neprajz.hu: Collection Exhibition

Bartók's phonograph journeys

Béla Bartók recorded folk songs in the villages with a phonograph, and the museum keeps folk music recordings alongside its objects. The exhibition lets you hear the collection through its many sound sources.

neprajz.hu: Collection Exhibition

The newest object: a Matyó apron

The most recent piece on display was made specially for the exhibition by the embroiderers of the Matyó Folk Art Association, linking the museum's famous Matyó embroidery to the people who still make it.

neprajz.hu: Collection Exhibition

Rooms from 1898

Costumes and furniture shown in the museum's very first permanent exhibition in 1898 are on display again, along with the atmosphere of the Ethnographic Village built for the 1896 Millennial Exhibition.

neprajz.hu: Collection Exhibition

The Ceramics Space

A free gallery laid out like the two halves of the brain: one side arranges pots by region and shape, the other by intuition. The museum owns over 35,000 ceramic pieces from five continents, and about a tenth are on show.

neprajz.hu: Ceramics Space

A building that beat Zaha Hadid

In the 2016 design competition, Hungarian firm NAPUR Architect led by Marcel Ferencz won against entries from Zaha Hadid and Rem Koolhaas. Opened in 2022, the building was named one of Time's World's Greatest Places in 2023.

neprajz.hu: Collection Exhibition

The green roof

More than 7,000 m² of planted roof curves over the museum and is open to everyone around the clock. From the top you can see Heroes' Square, the House of Music, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Parliament.

neprajz.hu: green roof

Hear the labels in your language

Tales of Museums reads the label in front of you aloud in your language, for any label you can photograph. The museum asks visitors listening on their own phone to use headphones, and it has free Wi-Fi after a short registration.

  1. Point at the label. Hold your iPhone steady and tap. You can also choose a photo you already took.
  2. Listen in your language. The label is translated and read aloud in a natural voice, in any of twelve languages, and each sentence lights up as it is read.
  3. Learn more. Key terms explained in plain words, and a few interesting facts with their sources.

Coming soon to the App Store for iPhone

Questions visitors ask

Is there a Museum of Ethnography audio guide in my language?

Only for part of the museum. The official audio guide covers the Ceramics Space and the ZOOM exhibition in Hungarian, English and German (HUF 1,000 for a device). The main Collection Exhibition has no audio guide, in any language. neprajz.hu: tickets · neprajz.hu: audioguide

Can I use my phone and headphones inside?

Yes. The house rules ask you to turn your phone down, not to use it for calls and not to talk loudly in the galleries, and the museum asks anyone listening to an audio tour on their own phone to wear headphones. neprajz.hu: house rules (Hungarian) · neprajz.hu: audioguide

Can I take photos?

Yes, with your own phone, for personal use and without flash, selfie sticks or stabilisers. Using a camera needs a HUF 700 photo ticket from the ticket office, and tripods are not allowed. neprajz.hu: house rules (Hungarian) · neprajz.hu: tickets

Which ticket do I need, and is there a free day?

The Collection Exhibition with ZOOM costs HUF 4,900 and an all-in ticket with the temporary shows HUF 5,500; a last-hour all-in ticket is HUF 1,900. The Ceramics Space is free. On 15 March, 20 August and 23 October the exhibitions are free for everyone. neprajz.hu: tickets · neprajz.hu: Ceramics Space

Are there tours in English?

Yes. A 25-minute English discovery tour of the building runs every Saturday and Sunday at 11 am and 2.30 pm for HUF 1,500, from the ground-floor information desk. Groups and private visitors can book longer tours, and the museum's licensed guides work in nine languages, including Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese. neprajz.hu: English discovery tour · neprajz.hu: tours in 10 languages

How do I get there, and is it step-free?

Take the M1 or M4 metro, buses 105, 230, 30, 30A or 7, or trolleybuses 70, 75 or 79M. The step-free lift to the exhibitions is at Entrance II on Damjanich utca, behind the shop; at Entrance I on the Heroes' Square side you need an attendant's help. neprajz.hu: public transport · neprajz.hu: accessibility

Can I visit the roof garden?

Yes, for free and at any hour. The 7,000 m² green roof is reached from outside the building and looks over Heroes' Square and City Park as far as the Parliament. neprajz.hu: green roof

Is it good for children?

Yes. Two characters, Barka the cat and Buga the dog, guide young children through the Collection Exhibition, with a family exhibition guide and weekend family sessions. A family all-in ticket for two adults and up to three children costs HUF 7,900. neprajz.hu: Collection Exhibition · neprajz.hu: tickets

When is the Museum of Ethnography closed?

The Museum of Ethnography's exhibitions, including the free Ceramics Space, are closed on Mondays and open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00; the ticket office closes at 17:30. On Mondays only the entrance hall facing Heroes' Square is open (10:00 to 18:00). The museum is also closed on 1 November, 24 to 26 December, 31 December and 1 January. neprajz.hu: Opening hours

Is there a café or restaurant at the Museum of Ethnography?

Yes. The Museum of Ethnography's Etno Bistro on the ground floor, easiest to reach from Entrance I on the Heroes' Square side or straight from City Park, is open every day from 10:00 to 19:00 and serves hot dishes at lunchtime, then sandwiches and desserts. A ground-floor café by Entrance II (corner of Damjanich utca and Dózsa György út) opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:30. neprajz.hu: Opening hours · neprajz.hu: Bolt, étel-ital (Hungarian)

Can I bring a bag or backpack into the Museum of Ethnography, and is there a cloakroom?

The Museum of Ethnography's free cloakroom is compulsory for packages, large backpacks, umbrellas and bags over 30 × 40 × 20 cm, though a small backpack within that size may be worn on your back, and free lockers that take a 100 HUF or €1 coin hold bags, coats, small pushchairs, and roller and ice skates. Raincoats, wet or winter coats, large children's toys such as ride-ons and balance bikes, and kick scooters (fold them and leave them in a locker) are not allowed in the exhibitions, and you may carry a little food and drink in a handbag but not eat or drink there. neprajz.hu: house rules (Hungarian) · neprajz.hu: lockers and cloakroom

Tales of Museums is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Museum of Ethnography. Translations, narration and the extra facts use AI and can contain mistakes, so for anything important, check the museum's official information and the linked sources. Please follow the museum's photography rules.

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